Minor emergency with humidity...help!

[ellam123]

@RubyNala97 I rather have FANTASTIC news or I'm going completely insane... So a few minutes ago I decided to candle the eggs briefly to see how they were doing, so I turned off the incubator light and got my brightest flashlight out. I have them upside down in cardboard rings like you guys suggested. Without moving the eggs at all, I put the flashlight where the air sac is so I could see through it, and I saw the large dark shadow that I usually do. However, upon close inspection, I could also SEE THEM MOVING!!! THE SHADOWS ARE WIGGLING AND SHIFTING THEMSELVES AROUND! I checked to make sure my (shaking at that point) hand and arm were as steady as possible and they were still at it!!! Oh my gosh! Are they getting ready to hatch? I've never seen this or heard of this before, is it normal? Am I just seeing things?!?

 

[MeepBeep]

It's normal you will see the top of the black blob moving like waves in the airsack shortly before they internally pip, once they internally pip you can generally see the triangular point of their beak in the airsack moving around in one location getting in position to externally pip...

 

[ellam123]

@MeepBeep thank you! Ill be sure to send pictures once they pip!

 

[ellam123]

@RubyNala97 @MeepBeep As I may have mentioned, the chicks are due today. However, I believe they may be up to 5 days late. After I candled the eggs the other day, I haven't been very...willing to stop candling them every 3 hours

As I was saying, I've been comparing them to pictures on the Internet and they seem a bit behind. I know they're still alive, and they're in the stage where they're positioning themselves to hatch. The underdevelopment was probably caused by them being a bit chilly at night, because as I said the temperature fluctuates significantly, but they haven't been overheated at all since day 2. I'm trying to plan around the hatch (it's silly, but I REALLY want them to imprint on me! ) because I have to go to my dads from Friday night to Sunday night and I figure they may hatch in that window of time and I don't want to leave my mother to care for them! I can't get a good idea of their progress, so can you give me your opinion? (Pics to come shortly)

 

[ellam123]

This is #1

 

[ellam123]

#2. I PROMISE ill stop touching them!!!

 

[ellam123]

I'd also like to add that they are both still moving around A LOT

 

[RubyNala97]

I'm so happy you got to see them moving!!!! It is so exciting!!! I'm going to be honest with you, the air cells look very small. What were your temps at night? They do not look ready to hatch yet. Right before they internally pip, the air cell "draws down" or grows big, fast. That's how I know it's super close. Today is day 21?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm so happy you got to see them moving!!!! It is so exciting!!! I'm going to be honest with you, the air cells look very small. What were your temps at night? They do not look ready to hatch yet. Right before they internally pip, the air cell "draws down" or grows big, fast. That's how I know it's super close. Today is day 21?

I definitely agree. The air cells are extremely small for eggs that are due to hatch. At day 18 they should be much larger:


The development also (to me) appears around day 14 ish. At least by the first pic. My other thing would be the small rings that they are sitting on. If they were to hatch I don't see them being stabile enough. I think the egg would be better off sitting deeper in the rings.

 

[ellam123]

@RubyNala97 sometimes they've dipped down to the high 70s, but not for long. And yes this is day 21 how do you suggest I help the air sacs grow?